


Engineering Love

by haldoor



Category: Real Person Fiction
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-22
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-09-23 23:36:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20348692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haldoor/pseuds/haldoor
Summary: Beta:The always generoussiluriaDisclaimer:I've used real people's names to write this story, but just assume I am giving each of them an acting job using their own name; I have no knowledge of their real lives or family, and this story is a fiction I created for love not money.Warnings:Use of homophobic language used by less than tolerant characters; this does not reflect my own attitudes.Summary:This is a follow-up toThe Mechanics of Love(on LJ, and not on AO3, sorry), set a few years later, when Eric and Karl, now well into their 20's, have been in an established relationship for some time.  In this story, they go to Australia to visit Eric's family when his father turns sixty, and unexpectedly run into someone Eric knew years ago, before he was sent to NZ.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kaige68](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaige68/gifts).

> This sequel was begun some years ago, and I have finally managed to finish it this year. For anyone who remembers the original, I hope this slightly less sexy, but hopefully just as heartfelt, story is something you'll enjoy! For those of you who are finding this new, you may want to read the earlier story for context, but I leave that up to you!
> 
> This is now posted in full. Thank you everyone for your patience!

Eric blinked and took a step backwards, almost tripping over Karl.

"Ow! Watch your feet, mate!" Karl complained, hopping out of his way and glaring.

"Uh... sorry. I uh..." Eric's heart was hammering. He couldn't even think what to say to Karl, distracted as he was by the person he thought he was seeing across the crowded room.

"Eric? Everything okay?" Karl looked slightly concerned now.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just... there's someone I haven't seen in ages over there and..." He swallowed hard, unsure how to proceed. He'd told Karl about Hugh, of course, but he hadn't known the man would be at his father's sixtieth birthday party.

"Who? An old friend? Maybe we should say hello?"

"Umm..." Eric said, intelligently. Just then, Hugh looked up and their eyes met. "Oh, Christ..."

Hugh smiled tightly and began to pick his way across the room towards them. Eric wasn't sure he was ready for this meeting. He looked about for something; what he wasn't sure, but escape wasn't likely now that Hugh knew Eric had spotted him. Eric took a breath and wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans as Hugh drew near enough to speak.

"Hey Eric, it's been a long time."

Eric nodded, flicking a glance at Karl before replying. "Hugh. I didn't expect you to be here."

"Our parents have been friends for years and... after you left... things kind of drifted back to how they were before. It would have looked odd if I didn't come."

Hugh shrugged and looked interestedly at Karl, who'd been standing there quietly, a worried expression on his face from the minute he'd heard Hugh's name mentioned. Hugh offered Karl a hand. "Hi. I assume you're a friend of Eric's. I'm Hugh. Eric and I went to school together."

Karl looked at his face and then at his hand before flicking his eyes at Eric's face briefly. Looking back towards Hugh, he finally took the offered hand and shook it briefly. "Karl. Eric's mentioned you," he said, his discomfit obvious.

Hugh's brows drew together. His eyes went back to Eric's face as he answered, "He has? Uh… what did he say?"

"Hey, let's not worry about that right now," Eric put in, his heart still beating double-time. He didn't need this situation getting out of hand. "Looks like Dad's about to cut the cake." He gestured to where his mother was bustling about at a table across the room, and then glanced toward one of his sisters peering out of the community centre kitchen. "Let's catch up later, eh?"

He tipped his head in his mum's direction, indicating to Karl that it was time they got over there, and headed off, leaving Hugh behind. Karl hurried after him, looking slightly put out, like Eric had planned this, but he definitely hadn't.

In fact, he wished someone had warned him beforehand that Hugh would be here.

~//~

Thankfully, Eric managed to avoid Hugh for the rest of the night, keeping an eye on Karl while making sure he was always around someone to talk to that would keep Hugh at bay, like his Uncle Terry, who Hugh was clearly still slightly afraid of even after all these years. Terry was massive – six foot five and almost as wide – and had a way of scaring even blokes built like Hugh, who was tall and wide shouldered, with those narrow hips that Eric really shouldn't even be noticing any more, but couldn't help himself from seeing, especially the rear-view angle with well-fitting jeans hugging his bum as they were.

Even Karl was a little nervous of Terry; maybe it was the thick eyebrows and the almost permanent scowl that suggested he'd knock your block off for the first word out of place. But Terry was a sweetheart, as Eric could attest. Terry had been one of the few people who was against Eric being sent to New Zealand after his indiscretion with Hugh all those years ago, even though he knew _exactly_ why.

He wasn't great with words though, and hadn't been able to convince his brother of any reason good enough for Eric not to be sent away. Eric hadn't forgotten though, so he happily hung around with his uncle for the rest of the night. And Terry seemed to like Karl, though he had to be fully aware of the relationship between them.

His parents, on the other hand, had treated Karl with polite disdain, as if he had something on his shirt or hands, ever since Eric and Karl had arrived from New Zealand. Eric had spoken to them on the phone before he and Karl got on the plane. He'd explained to them how Karl was his boyfriend and that he wasn't coming if he couldn't bring him along. They'd been quietly accepting, but had suggested the two men found accommodation outside of the family home; they weren't having a couple 'like them' staying together at their house while their grandchildren were staying there.

Eric – and Karl – had been relieved about that, and willing to stay in a motel, until Terry had called him a day or so later to suggest he stay with them. Terry had never married, and while Eric had no reason to think anything of that – he wasn't the only one of his father's three brothers to stay single – he did wonder to himself if he had more than just a love of motor-racing and beer in common with his uncle.

~//~

Midway through the party, Eric found himself cornered by his great-aunt Matilda, and there was no getting away. While he could tell that Hugh still wasn't likely to approach him while he was with her, Karl had wandered off to get another drink and Eric could see Hugh heading in Karl's direction. His heart thumped hard at the thought of what he might or might not say to Karl, and he almost missed the question from his aunt.

"So you're poofs, then?"

"Pardon?" Eric was somewhat shocked by the direct question. He had no idea his parents had told anyone in the family besides Terry, who'd been living with the family at the time, although he'd known there would be questions when he brought a man to his father's party. Of course rumours had probably gotten around too.  
  
"Oh, don't worry," Aunt Matilda said, lowering herself onto the nearest chair and pulling Eric down to sit beside her. "No one said anything to me. I figured it out all by myself when your folks were so close-lipped about why they sent you away. Nothing short of murder or sodomy would get your mother to do that, and I knew you weren't a murderer."

Eric was too shocked to say anything; he had no idea Aunt Matilda was so insightful.

"He's a good-looking lad, Eric; you've done well." She beamed at him happily.

"Auntie, are you really… I had no idea… I just thought… even though…" While Eric knew he wasn't making much sense, he was too surprised at her accepting attitude to find proper words.

"Oh Eric," Aunt Matilda laughed, patting his nearest thigh. "Don't think we're all as backward as your parents."

He goggled at her some more. She was at least fifteen years older than his parents; it just seemed incredible that she was so open-minded.

"Look," she went on, "You're clearly smitten with the boy, and he's been following you around like a lost lamb most of the night, which – considering he's almost as big as you are – is incredibly sweet to watch. I just didn't want you to think that no-one would talk to him because he's your…" She paused for a moment, questioning with her eyes as she continued carefully, "…boyfriend? Is that what you call him?"

A warmth was spreading through Eric at her kind words, and he grinned at her, nodding his head. "Yes. I should introduce you. I'm sorry I didn't before now."

She waved a hand. "I wasn't completely sure at first, and no one in your family was racing to say anything about him, so I figured I'd wait a while. Now's good, though." She raised her eyebrows over her glasses expectantly.

"Oh yes, of course!" Eric gave her a sheepish smile and stood up, trying to spot Karl.

Jesus! He was still over by the drinks table, talking to… Hugh.

~//~

Karl, for his part, had been feeling much like the lost lamb that Eric's great-aunt had described him as, not that he'd heard what she said; nor was he about to admit it to anyone. People nodded and occasionally smiled at him, but no-one had attempted to engage him in conversation. Rather, they gave him sideways looks and moved on, especially once Eric started talking to his auntie about people Karl didn't know – he hadn't felt inclined to stand there like an idiot either, so he'd meandered towards the drinks to get himself another beer.

Unexpectedly, he'd come face to face with Hugh, the one person he didn't know if he really wanted to talk to amongst those gathered here.

"Hi." Hugh smiled right at Karl, gesturing towards the man behind the drinks table. "What'll it be; beer?" At Karl's nod, he said, "Thanks, Jim," and reached for the offered bottle, handing it to Karl as he drew nearer.

Clinking his own bottle against Karl's as soon as Karl twisted the top off, Hugh nodded back at him. "Cheers, mate." He took a swig and swallowed slowly as Karl followed suit, his eyes never leaving Karl's face.

"Thanks," Karl said, with some relief. Maybe having Hugh talk to him was better than being ignored the way everyone else was doing.

"So," Hugh managed, like he was weighing his words carefully, "You and Eric, eh?"

Or maybe not, Karl thought. He wasn't sure he wanted to discuss his and Eric's relationship with Eric's ex – if the guy Eric had been caught fumbling around with (on the one occasion it had apparently happened) before he was smartly shipped off to live with relatives in New Zealand could properly be described as an 'ex' officially.

"Yup," he allowed, immediately followed by a gulp of beer as he considered the man Eric had been intimate with all those years before Karl had known him. The fact that Eric had told him about Hugh was something, he supposed, and he probably didn't have anything to worry about, but Karl still found himself concerned that Hugh's appearance at this 'do' was a kind of threat.

Hugh smiled at him, taking a few steps away from the table and out of hearing of 'Jim'. "I wondered if he… would find someone over there."

"Well, he did, and we're pretty happy," Karl said, aware that it sounded very much like he was staking his place and that Hugh wasn't welcome to interfere.

"Good, good; I'm glad."

Karl frowned. "You are?"

Hugh swallowed more beer, raising one eyebrow curiously. "Yeah, of course. I have a… girlfriend, and even though Eric followed a different path, all I ever wanted for him was to be happy."

"He told me about you," Karl said, unsure if Hugh making it very clear that he had a 'girlfriend' now was because he thought Eric wouldn't have told Karl about his past.

"I figured he might," Hugh said, not quite looking at Karl. "What happened with us… was… a mistake. I was never…"

"Yeah, whatever," Karl told him, anger starting to buzz behind his eyes. Hugh's words sounded very much like the guy was lying to himself as well as to Karl, and he couldn't help wondering if it was all about saving face since clearly his folks hadn't thought the 'indiscretion' warranted _Hugh_ getting shipped away from his home. Presumably he'd used the line before – had put the blame squarely on Eric so he wouldn't have to face up to whatever punishment he might have faced.

"Seriously," Hugh said, like Karl _had_ to believe him.

Karl swigged more beer, and then faced him squarely, one eyebrow raised. "Look, I don't care what you told everyone to reduce your own sentence, mate; I only care that you did it at the expense of Eric. Although I should probably thank you."

"Thank me?"

"Yeah. After all, if you hadn't screwed him over, he and I probably wouldn't have met."

"I didn't screw him over!"

Karl snorted, and then gulped another mouthful of beer, gazing distrustfully at Hugh.

Hugh repeated, "I didn't screw him over!" and then, as if realising that people around them could hear, he gestured towards the community centre's stage, and took a few steps in that direction. Karl followed him, curious as to what Hugh was going to say.

"Look, you can believe whatever you want, Karl, but I didn't purposely leave him to take the blame. His dad kicked me out when he… walked in on us, and I didn't get to say _anything_."

"What? Not even when your folks heard?"

Hugh twisted the bottle in his hands, frowning deeply as he studied his own action. "Eric's dad never told them. And I… I couldn't. I thought about it, but I didn't think it meant anything… in the end, and I just thought… I assumed his dad was too embarrassed about it; didn't want anyone else involved, and as long as I didn't see Eric again, like he said, I figured it would be alright."

Karl was shocked; Eric had seemed convinced that his father must have told Hugh's parents. "What do you mean?"

Hugh looked up, confusion in his eyes. "When he kicked me out, Eric's dad told me that I should stay away from Eric or he'd beat the crap out of me. I believed him, Karl. The look in his eyes…" He swallowed hard and shook his head. "I didn't know about Eric getting sent away until after he'd gone."

"You didn't? That's not what Eric said."

"Eric didn't know."

"Jesus, Hugh. So, you didn't… how did you find out?"

"His Uncle Terry told me. Shit, that guy still scares the Bejesus out of me, I tell you." He did a full-body shudder as he glanced over his shoulder like Terry might be close by. "But I ran into him one day a few weeks later, and he cornered me. The guy's got this way… I was freaked out at first – thought Eric's dad had sent him around to bash me, but it turned out he was the only other person who knew, and that's when he told me. Christ, I was bummed out; I felt bad for Eric, but what could I do? He'd gone; I didn't know where to write to him, and even if I got the address, I didn't think Eric would want to hear from me."

Karl frowned and aimed his gaze towards where Eric had been talking to his great aunt just a few minutes earlier. He was no longer sitting with her, but making his way across the room to join Karl and Hugh. Karl's heart stuttered at the look on Eric's face. He looked back at Hugh, feeling a little less angry about his part in Eric's transportation to New Zealand, and hoped Eric would be willing to give the guy a chance.

"Eric, you need to hear this."

Eric's frown deepened as he looked from Karl to Hugh and then back again. "I don't think I need to hear anything Hugh's got to say. It's time we headed off, anyway."

Karl opened his mouth to speak, watching Hugh drop his eyes and shove his hands in his pockets, his shoulders drooping like he had already given up hope of Eric hearing him out. "Hugh didn't-"

"Look, Karl, it doesn't matter," Eric said, "All that was a long time ago now. We're happy, right?"

"Yeah…" Karl started.

"Then there's no point going over all that again, is there?"

"Eric's right," Hugh said, lifting his eyes at last. "Forget it; I have."

But there was something in Hugh's eyes that said something different altogether, and Karl knew he'd have to do something to get Eric and Hugh to be friends again. He wouldn't feel right otherwise, and if Hugh was straight, he couldn't be any kind of threat to what Eric and Karl had together, despite what he'd been thinking earlier.

Eric was striding off now though, having barely managed to grunt out a 'bye' in Hugh's direction, and Karl didn't feel like he could do anything except follow his boyfriend at this point. He nodded at Hugh. "Thanks for telling me, anyway. Seeya."

Trailing Eric, Karl left the sad-eyed Hugh behind as they made their way over to the rest of Eric's family to make their excuses. Along the way, he was introduced to Eric's Aunt Matilda, who seemed almost disappointed they were leaving so soon, but Karl couldn't be worried about that, not when Eric was so worked up over Hugh.

~//~//~


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, the boys talk about the party, and the following day they accidentally run into Hugh again.

Later, back at Terry's, in the room they were sharing, Eric pulled Karl into his arms and held on tight, relieved that the main event was over. He let out a long, slow breath and muttered, "Thank God."

Karl pulled back, still holding him loosely and smiled at him, one eyebrow cocked. "It's over, mate. We don't have to hang around if you don't want to. We can probably change the tickets and go home early if you've had enough."

Eric shook his head. "Nah, it'd cost extra. It's only another week, and now I've done my duty, I can show you around."

"Yeah? You sure?"

"Hey, it's a big place; we can sight-see and we'll probably never run into anyone from the family."

"There's no-one you want to spend time with?"

Eric shifted away to remove his watch and place it on the dresser. "Well, Terry, obviously, but no, there's no one else here that I can be bothered with… except you." He turned, holding out a hand.

Karl took it, his expression thoughtful as he nodded.

"What are you thinking?" Eric asked.

Karl looked at their joined hands, stepping closer, and met Eric's eyes as he threaded their fingers together. "You know, I had a talk with Hugh…"

Eric reclaimed his hand, and held it and his other hand up, stalling Karl mid-sentence. "Look, Karl, I told you; all that was a long time ago. It was weird seeing Hugh there tonight, but nothing he's got to say can change anything now. Just forget him; I have."

"That's not true." 

Karl looked worried, and Eric hated seeing that in his eyes. Did he think their meeting was planned? "Seriously, love, I have no interest in him, and whatever he's told you, there's nothing going on between us, okay?"

"No, Eric, that's not it. I think you and Hugh-"

"Just let it go, Karl!" Eric could feel his anger rising and he tried to push it back down. "It's over now, and I don't want to hear anything more about it." He gestured at the wide double bed that they could now enjoy in peace – without the worry that had made him too keyed up to indulge in anything sexual last night. "Can we just go to bed?"

Karl looked as if he might say something for a moment, and then he nodded, moving into Eric's arms once more and holding on tight.

Eric closed his eyes, inhaling Karl's familiar and comforting scent.

All they had to do was get through the last few days here without seeing Hugh or talking about him again.

~//~ 

Of course, that wasn't to be. The next day, Eric decided to take Karl for a drive around some of his favourite places from when he was younger, and barely an hour had passed when he spotted a familiar figure across the market that he'd brought Karl to.

"It fucking can't be…" he muttered, turning towards Karl and trying to direct him in a whole other direction.

"Can't be what?" Karl was looking over Eric's shoulder, just in the direction Eric didn't need him to. "Is that Hugh?"

"No, I don't think so," Eric replied still attempting to divert him. "What about one of these scarves for your mum?"

"Mum doesn't wear scarves. That is him. He's looking over here. We can't ignore him, Eric." Karl took a step towards Hugh and held up a hand. At their height – a whole head above most of the crowd – it was impossible for them to escape now without it being obvious that Eric was avoiding Hugh.

Eric rolled his eyes and followed Karl as he led the way across to where Hugh stood behind a stall in the market, his lop-sided smile wide across his altogether too handsome face.

"Hey Eric, Karl. Didn't expect to see you here."

"The feeling's entirely mutual," Eric muttered. "Do you work here? What happened to acting?"

Last Eric remembered, Hugh had been at drama school and was thinking about TV and film acting.

"I still act," Hugh told them, his eyes resting all too familiarly on Karl's face for a few moments before he met Eric's eyes again. "But in between jobs, I sell educational toys at some of the markets around town."

"Educational toys?" Karl actually sounded interested. To Eric's surprise, Karl started asking about some of the things laid out on the stall table between them, and Hugh began to demonstrate and explain a few of them.

"Jesus," Eric murmured, watching them. Anger beginning to buzz low inside his head had him taking a step backward, and he let out a breath, trying to calm himself.

"What time do you finish here?" Karl asked. 

Eric blinked, not expecting Karl's question. Perhaps he should have, considering last night's conversation. Was Karl interested in Hugh?

"The market wraps up around noon, so about half an hour after that," Hugh answered before Eric had regained his wits enough to interrupt whatever Karl was trying to organise.

"Can we buy you lunch?"

"Karl…" Eric tried.

Hugh's lip quirked upwards at one side and he flicked a quick look at Eric. "I'd like that."

"I don't know." Eric put a hand on Karl's arm. Karl nodded at him, as if to reassure Eric that nothing bad was going to happen.

"Is there somewhere near here where we can meet you?" Karl asked.

"Yeah, there's a little café around the corner called 'Vinnie's'. How about 1pm?"

"Great," Karl agreed, wrapping a hand around Eric's arm and leading him away from Hugh.

Eric cast a look behind them as Karl kept him moving, feeling as curious as Hugh's expression aimed at them appeared to be. Karl didn't stop moving until they were out in the street.

"What was that about?" Eric asked, brows tightening. "I don't want to have lunch with Hugh."

"I know," Karl said, "but you should. He isn't the bad guy here, Eric, and I think you should listen to what he has to say."

"I never said he was the bad guy, but I don't need to hear anything he has to say. I keep telling you… I'm over what happened between us; I have you now. Unless… unless you're trying to tell me…" Eric paused, swallowing, scared to verbalise his greatest fear.

Karl was looking confused now. "Trying to tell you what?"

"I thought we had something good. What's going on with you and him?"

"What?" Karl gave him a stunned look. "What the hell, Eric? I try to help you reconnect with an old friend – someone who meant something to you once – and you think I'm dumping you for him? D'you really trust me so little? Jesus, mate; you've got the wrong end of the stick. Come on; think about it. It's you I love. I tried to tell you last night – Hugh was as much a victim of what happened when your dad sent you away as you were. You just never knew."

"What are you talking about?"

"He told me he didn't know you were being sent to New Zealand until after you'd gone. Your dad warned him against trying to see you."

"He didn't? My dad did? Hugh told you this?" Eric wasn't sure he believed what he was hearing. He'd been led to believe that Hugh had blamed the whole thing on him and didn't want to see him again. That had been half the reason why he'd gone along with his parents' plans for him so easily; because he thought Hugh had given up on him.

“What… why…” Eric was at a loss for what to say. He suddenly felt quite light-headed, and stopped dead, one hand gripping Karl’s arm tightly. 

Karl turned back and gave Eric a worried look. “Are you okay, Eric? Jesus, you look like someone died.” Karl hovered uncertainly in front of him, pulling Eric's hand away from his arm, and holding it firmly in his own, like it didn’t matter who saw. “Come and sit down, mate. You need something to drink?”

Eric couldn’t think for a moment, but then he met Karl’s concerned expression and nodded. “I need a beer.” Straightening up, he looked around, spotting a pub across the street and headed toward it, Karl’s hand still in his so that he couldn’t help but go along with Eric.

~//~

After Karl told Eric what Hugh had said to him at the party about the whole 'sending Eric to New Zealand' fiasco, and Eric had swallowed a good proportion of the beer he'd suddenly needed, he shook his head in disbelief and looked hopelessly at Karl.

"My parents said he blamed the whole thing on me, and that he wasn't really interested in me that way."

Karl dropped his eyes away, swallowing hard. This had hit Eric harder than he'd realised it would, and while Karl didn't believe he had anything to worry about insofar as Hugh was concerned, he couldn't help wondering if Eric was looking at Hugh in a completely different way now.

"Well, Hugh said he didn't think it meant anything," he said, hoping the worry wasn't in his voice. "And he's moved on, so… you don't have to feel bad, but you guys should make up – you know; be friends again."

Eric looked at him sharply.

"Just _friends_," Karl reiterated. "I don't want… and I don't think he… well, he's got a girlfriend, hasn't he?"

"Has he?"

"Yeah, that's what he told me. I just think you should give him a chance. All this time you've been thinking he gave up on you, but he didn't. Not like you thought he did, anyway."

"A girlfriend, huh?" Eric shook his head again. He was clearly having a hard time with the whole idea of Hugh being as misled as he'd been. "I can't even imagine him with a girl."

Karl frowned. "You think he… isn't as straight as he's making out?"

Eric ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know, Karl. I just… we were mates for ages; neither one of us had any girlfriends back then. And then we… fooled around together and I thought… but I must have been wrong, even if…" He looked blankly at Karl again. "A girlfriend. I guess there's no reason why he has to be gay just because I am. Lots of guys go through a phase, don't they?"

Shrugging, Karl replied, "They say they do, but… I only know what it was like for me."

"Yeah," Eric scowled at the remains of his beer and then downed it. "Anyway, I suppose I'll find out about Hugh. It's nearly one; we should head for that café."

"Eric?"

Eric had stood up, and he turned to look back at Karl questioningly. "Yeah?"

Karl didn't stand up yet. He bit his lip and swallowed. "Would you… have stayed with him? If he _was_ gay and your dad hadn't caught you like that?"

"Jesus Karl, I don't bloody know! It _happened_, and I can't even speculate what we might've done if Dad hadn't walked in on us. I might still be here, and we might have gotten married for all I know!

"Probably not," he added, presumably at the shocked expression on Karl's face. "It's not even legal here. Besides… I wouldn't have met you and… Christ… can we just go get lunch?"

Eric was obviously still flustered by the news, and he charged out of the pub like Karl had thrown something at him. Karl frowned to himself but got up and followed him out. 

~//~ 

By the time they'd ordered some food and sat down in the café, Eric had composed himself enough to feel up to facing Hugh. 

Wrapping his head around the fact that his parents had lied to him wasn't easy, but they probably thought they were doing Eric a favour. The worst part of it was feeling so let down by the very people you were supposed to trust the most. Although he probably shouldn’t have been so surprised, considering their attitude towards the whole situation. 

There wasn't time to think on that much longer before Hugh appeared in the doorway, flicking a look around the whole room before settling on them and smiling nervously as he headed towards Eric and Karl's table.

"Hey. Thanks for meeting me here," Hugh started as he sat down in the empty chair beside Karl and looked back at Eric.

Karl murmured something that sounded like 'no problem', but Eric just looked at Hugh, wondering how it was he'd ever believed his parents. He took a deep breath, unsure how to address the story Karl had told him.

"Look," Hugh said in the pause, "I know what you thought, and I'm sorry I didn't make more effort to see you back when all that stuff happened…"

"Karl told me you didn't know I'd gone until afterwards. That my dad threatened to tell your parents about us, but never actually went through with it."

"Yeah," Hugh nodded, dropping his eyes for a moment and then looking sadly into Eric's once more. "If I'd known that's what they were going to do to you, I would have come around and told them it wasn't your fault."

"Why would you do that?" Eric was genuinely confused. "It was my fault; you're not even gay." 

Hugh squinted oddly, and then shook his head. "Even so, it would have been better than you being sent away."

"It doesn't matter now, anyway." Eric gave Hugh a small smile and then turned to offer a brighter one to Karl. "If I hadn't gone to New Zealand, I wouldn't have met Karl."

Karl gave him an embarrassed half-smile and looked at Hugh for a moment before reaching for Eric's hand under cover of the table and squeezing it. "I'm pretty pleased about that myself."

"I can see you're happy together, and I'm glad about that," Hugh offered hesitantly, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.

Eric wasn't sure whether it was a sign that Hugh was having second thoughts about what had been between them, or whether it meant he wasn't altogether thrilled that Eric had turned out to be as gay as the incident between them had implied.

"And you've got a girlfriend now, so everything turned out pretty well all around," Eric managed, trying to be magnanimous. 

"Yeah," Hugh said, looking away for a few seconds. He didn't sound that enthusiastic.

"What's her name?" Eric thought it seemed polite to show interest.

"Kate." Hugh shrugged. "We've been together a couple of years, but it's… it isn't that serious."

Eric exchanged a look with Karl. "But you like her, right? You wouldn't be together otherwise, would you?"

"I guess. You should meet her, though."

Eric nodded. "I'd like that." He looked at Karl, who smiled. "We'd like that."

"What are you doing this afternoon?" 

"Today?" Eric looked at Karl again. 

Karl shrugged. "Why not?"

"Great." Hugh smiled. "Then it's settled. Where are you parked?" 

~//~//~


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Eric and Karl meet Hugh’s girlfriend, and later, Karl has a quick word with Terry.

In the car, Karl kept his thoughts to himself about Hugh's manner in the café. It seemed to him that Hugh was beginning to wish he had told Eric's father where to shove it because he was interested in Eric, rather than the concern and worry he'd professed to Karl at the party. His apparent indifference to his own relationship with this girl – this woman, Karl supposed, in fact – had set off warning bells in Karl's mind, though apparently Eric had no such suspicions now he'd 'forgiven' Hugh for all that had transpired before he'd been shipped to NZ.

They were in their rental car, following Hugh in his own vehicle as they drove to where Kate lived.

"Why do you think she wasn't with Hugh at your dad's party?" Karl asked as a sideways approach. He didn't want to be right about Hugh now; not since he'd been swayed into believing that all Hugh wanted was to be 'friends' again.

"I don't know." Eric was concentrating on driving and didn't even glance at Karl, but he didn't seem in the least suspicious of it. "Maybe she had something else going on that night."

"That could be it," Karl agreed.

Eric flicked a look at him sideways. "What? You don't think so?"

Karl shrugged.

Eric's brow furrowed. "What else… could it be?"

"Maybe she doesn't like parties," Karl offered nonchalantly, looking at Eric out of the corner of his eye.

Eric snorted lightly. "You don't think…"

Karl turned his head this time. "What?"

"Nah, couldn't be that… surely?" Eric's frown had deepened.

"Couldn't be what?"

"I mean, would he have told her? He said they weren't serious… and he wasn't acting like it's serious between them, was he?" He managed another quick look at Karl.

Shrugging again, Karl said, "Maybe, maybe not. Who knows? I guess we might find out when we meet her, yeah?"

"Yeah," Eric said, and that was all.

~//~

"So, umm… Kate," Hugh said as they all got out and approached the house that he indicated was where Kate currently lived. "She uh… she might not be who you'd expect me to be with. But she's… she's cool and I like her. I think you'll like her too."

Eric raised his eyebrows, unable to even imagine what sort of woman Hugh might be interested in, let alone be dating. He exchanged a confused look with Karl, and then they followed Hugh to the door.

Hugh knocked, which surprised Eric; he assumed that after two years together they might have their own keys, even if they weren't actually living together.

When the door opened, he had to physically stop his mouth from dropping open. The woman in front of them was at least fifteen years older than them, and although she wasn't unattractive, she wasn't exactly someone who would have turned heads in the street – well, not as she was at the moment, Eric amended inside his mind. Who knew what difference a little make-up and a nice outfit might make? 

Hugh smiled at the woman and moved close enough to offer her a light kiss on the cheek. "Hi Kate, how are you, love?"

"I'm good," she told him and turned her attention to Eric and Karl standing slightly behind Hugh. "Hello."

Hugh turned back, licking his lips and looking slightly nervous. "This is an old school friend of mine, Eric Bana, and his… uh… this is Karl. He's a New Zealander."

Eric glanced at Karl, who was looking at Hugh through narrowed eyes. 

"What he means," Karl said dryly, "is that I'm Eric's boyfriend."

"Oh." Kate's eyes widened momentarily and then she moved back a step, smiling. "Nice to meet you both. Come in."

They followed her inside and through to a messy-looking lounge room, with things haphazardly scattered on different surfaces.

"Give me a minute," she told them and cleared off a couple of seats for them. "Sorry about all this. I'm sorting donations for charity. The church just had a big drive for old stuff people no longer need, and foolish me allowed the minister to talk me into co-ordinating the whole thing."

Church? Eric nodded as if he understood and offered Hugh a questioning look. The last he knew, Hugh was an atheist.

They all sat down where Kate indicated, as she stuffed the clothing she'd retrieved into a box in one corner. "Can I get you all a cup of tea?"

"No thanks," Eric told her, "We actually just came from lunch. Hugh thought we’d like to meet you."

"He did?" Kate gave Hugh a fond look as she sat down. "Did he say you went to school with him? Were you close?"

"Uh…" Eric didn't quite know what to say to that.

Hugh smiled oddly and said, "We were in our last year when he went to New Zealand. We sort of lost touch, and well… it was Eric's dad's 60th birthday party that I went to that night you couldn't get a babysitter. We met again there."

"Oh," Kate said like that had answered her question. "You've known the Banas for some years though. I've never heard you mention Eric before. I assumed he was a cousin or something."

Hugh had the good grace to redden slightly. "I uh… well, that is… I wasn't sure if I'd ever see him again when he left Australia. So there was never any need to talk about him to you, love." 

Kate frowned briefly, but then smiled again. "So you came home for your dad's birthday, then, Eric? That's nice; it must be a while since you saw your parents."

Eric gave her a tight smile. "I've been in NZ since I was eighteen – I went there at the end of school – so it's been… umm, nearly ten years now."

"That's a long time. NZ isn't that far away; you didn't want to come earlier?"

Eric didn't feel like going into the whole thing with her. And what on earth? Kate knew Hugh had known the Banas for years, but he'd never mentioned Eric? "It just didn't work out that way. So, Kate, how long have you and Hugh been a couple?"

Kate smiled fondly at Hugh. "I know you're probably thinking that it's an odd match, but there was just something about Hugh from the day we met." She smiled back at Eric. "I was out with my children two years ago, and as God's grace would have it, I knocked on Hugh's door."

"You converted him?" Karl asked.

"Yes," Kate said, reaching for Hugh's hand. "My husband died the year before, and somehow Hugh and I connected that day. We've been seeing each other ever since, but of course we're taking it slowly. I believe in the sanctity of marriage, and I do have my children to think of, so I'm following God's way to do these things." 

Her look at Karl said that whatever he and Eric were doing was clearly not God's way.

"Ah… okay." Eric nodded. Things were starting to make a kind of sense he wasn't sure he wanted to know more about. He turned to Karl and smiled brightly, hoping he got the message. "We should be going anyway, shouldn't we, Karl? We have that uh… thing with Terry planned."

Karl squinted for a second and then nodded back at him. "Oh, yeah, that's right. We do."

Eric couldn't read Hugh's expression as they got to their feet. "Nice to meet you, anyway, Kate." He wasn't sure if he should shake hands with her, but she didn't offer, so he gave her a brief smile and nodded at Hugh.

"Nice to meet you, too. And you, Karl." Kate offered, but her expression said she was glad to see them leave.

"Kate," was all Karl offered.

"I'll see you later, love," Hugh said, paying no further attention to his girlfriend. As Eric glanced over his shoulder, he could see Kate returning to her donations without even saying goodbye to Hugh.

Hugh seemed in almost as much of a rush to leave as they were. "So, umm, what do you think?" His expression read like he needed Eric's approval.

"Of Kate?" Eric asked. "She seems nice enough. Older than I thought, and uh… a little more…"

"Religious?" Hugh asked, rubbing his eyebrow.

"Now that you mention it, yeah. You never said you’d been born again."

Karl had discretely moved away, and was standing close to the car, looking down the road in what he probably thought was a nonchalant manner, but Eric could tell he was still listening. 

"Well… it didn't really come up in conversation. I didn't used to think much of God, but since I met Kate, I see Him in a whole different way."

"Clearly." Eric didn't really feel like getting into what he thought about the situation. "Anyway, she's… obviously very devoted to God, and ... and if you love each other, then that's all that matters. It was good to see you, Hugh. I'm glad we cleared up what happened in the past, and I hope everything goes well for you in the future." 

He held out his hand, but Hugh just looked at it, and then at Eric. "You're talking like this is goodbye."

Eric dropped his hand. "In all honesty, Hugh, it is. I can't see the point of us trying to rekindle our friendship at the moment. You have Kate and I have Karl. We're both happy, and…" He shrugged. "Karl and I are heading home in a few days, anyway. It's unlikely we'll see each other for some time."

Hugh frowned, swallowing, and then looked away for a moment. When he turned back, his eyes had a sadness to them that Eric hadn't expected to see. "You're right. I'm glad we got to talk, and I'm sorry you don't want to be friends any more, but I wish you and Karl well."

With that, he headed towards his car, offering a nod to Karl on his way. Karl's brows were drawn together in confusion, but he managed a nod in return. 

"What the hell was all that about?" Karl asked as Eric reached the car.

"Honestly, Karl, I have no idea. Let's just head back to Terry's and have a beer, shall we?"

Karl had more questions in his eyes, but wisely, he just nodded, and they got in the car and drove away.

~//~

Back at Terry's a few hours later, they settled in the backyard with beer in hand as Terry fired up the barbeque.

Karl had heard most of the conversation between Eric and Hugh, but decided for Eric's sake to wait until his boyfriend was ready to talk about it, and that probably wasn't going to be in front of his uncle. Since they'd arrived back at Terry's, Eric hadn't brought Hugh up, but Karl could tell by his quietness that he was still thinking about all he'd learned about the man today.

Terry kept giving Eric looks, as if he knew something was up, but he too was quiet, as if waiting for Eric to impart some important piece of information. 

Karl didn't know Terry well, of course, but he was less wary of him now he'd spent some more time in his company. Although Karl wasn't sure if he was reading him right, he got the impression that Terry was very fond of Eric and would do anything to ensure his happiness. He was, most importantly, the only member of Eric's immediate family who seemed to like Karl, and treated him like he wasn't just a bad smell hanging around Eric.

When Eric excused himself to use the loo, Karl found courage to speak to Terry about Hugh. "We met Hugh at the market today, and he… he took us to meet his girlfriend Kate. It's a really weird situation, but I think he wants to be friends with Eric again. Eric doesn't seem to want that though."

Terry frowned, and then shook his head, grunting rather than saying anything.

Karl looked towards the house as Terry poked at the steaks he'd thrown on the barbeque. The last thing he needed was Eric to catch him discussing this with Terry, but it felt right to keep their only ally in the loop. 

"Don't tell Eric I told you," Karl warned, "but I thought you should know Hugh told us he hadn't a clue about Eric being sent away until afterwards. Eric isn't sure what to make of the whole thing, but he needs time to think."

Terry nodded. "Makes sense."

"I'm only telling you because I don't think Eric should go through this alone. I know he's got me, but you know Hugh better. You might have more ideas on whether he… well, why he…" Karl foundered, unsure what point he was trying to make.

"I get it," Terry said. "He could be trying to rekindle more than friendship. This Kate – she's the religious one who doesn't sleep with him, right?"

"You know about her? And from what she said, yeah."

Terry nodded. "Eric's gotta be wondering if that's deliberate."

Karl nodded too, and gestured at the house, referring to Eric. "Why would he choose someone so very different from Eric? Someone he isn't even… intimate with? You know?"

Terry pursed his lips briefly, and then flicked his eyes towards the house, warning Karl. "Later."

Karl turned to smile at Eric as he came out of the house. 

"What did I miss?"

"Nothing," Karl said a little too fast.

Eric's eyes narrowed slightly, but Terry said, "Karl was telling me all about the garage where you work."

Eric seemed to accept that, and launched into an explanation about how their boss was hoping to expand next year, and how he was quietly confident that he might be running another branch soon.

Karl didn't deter him from the conversation; it added a touch of normality to an otherwise awkward day, and it might be better to let both Eric and Terry think on the whole Hugh situation overnight.

After all, tomorrow was another day, and one step closer to them going home – something that couldn't happen fast enough in Karl's estimation.

~//~//~ 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this part, Eric and Karl talk about Hugh and Kate, and whether there's a problem to be addressed in their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay on this chapter; I had a busy week last week so haven’t had time to update until now.

In the morning, Eric blinked awake and lay looking at the still sleeping Karl for some time before moving. It had taken him a while to get to sleep last night, thinking on the Hugh issue. He wondered if Hugh had had a sexual relationship with _anyone_ after Eric had left the picture, or if maybe it was only women he'd been avoiding – or getting into similar 'relationships' with as the one he had with Kate. Or was it the conversion that made him think he was straight? 

And Kate seemed so unlikely. She had _children_ for Christ's sake! Eric had nothing against kids himself – nor did he think Hugh did – but the man was so much younger than Kate, and children were a lot of responsibility to take on. Did he really think he was ready for that? 

Eric had to admit he barely knew Hugh any more, and that was a major reason he felt better about the idea of not staying in touch after he and Karl went back to New Zealand.

But… he cared about Hugh, he had to admit, and seeing him in this unlikely situation had Eric worried. What if he was biting off more than he could chew? Was he really intending to marry Kate, or was the whole 'no sex until married' thing the perfect way for him to avoid a 'proper' relationship?

He sighed, staring absently into space and away from Karl's peacefully asleep face. Maybe he was over-reacting, and Hugh knew exactly what he was doing.

A movement at the corner of his eye caught his attention; Karl was waking up. Eric let go of thoughts of Hugh in favour of watching his lover come to his senses. He'd never tire of the sight. Reaching out a hand, Eric brushed the hair away from Karl's brow and smiled down into the deep hazel eyes.

"Morning, mate," Karl managed hoarsely.

Eric just grinned at him.

Karl frowned suspiciously. "How long have you been watching me sleep?"

"Not long. You look so sweet and innocent when you're out of it."

Karl grunted and moved up into a sitting position. "Try saying that when I'm more awake."

"What? You going to punch me for telling the truth?"

"_Sweet and innocent_ is not exactly the way I want to be seen. Not if I want people to take me seriously."

Eric ruffled his hair and laughed. "Yeah, but I love you, _sweet and innocent_ as you are."

Karl pushed his hand away as he slid to the side of the bed, and put his feet on the floor. "Sod off, ya idiot."

"Admit it, you love it."

Karl turned back, catching Eric by the chin with one hand and drawing him near enough to kiss. "I love _you_, anyway."

Eric opened his mouth, allowing Karl's tongue to pulse inside. Morning breath or not, he could stir Eric up with just a kiss like no-one else ever had.

But before it could turn to anything near what Eric would have liked to happen at this point, Karl drew back and stood up, yawning and stretching. "I need to piss," he announced.

Eric couldn't help but laugh. "Look at you: one minute it's all romance; the next you're talking shit."

"Piss, actually," Karl laughed, leaving the room before Eric could say any more.

Despite the grin on his face, Eric's thoughts immediately turned back to Hugh. He had Karl now; Hugh was his past. What was it about the man that still managed to tie him up in doubt, even after all these years? He shook himself and moved to follow Karl to the bathroom.

~//~

Once they were up and dressed, Karl and Eric headed for the kitchen to get breakfast. Terry was just putting his packed lunch into his backpack as they entered the room.

"Morning, boys," He smiled at them. "I'm just off to work. Back around five. Lock up if you go out, and while I'm gone, think about what you want to eat for dinner. If you text me what you want, I'll go to the supermarket on the way home."

Karl was still more than a little amazed to see the burly builder with such a gentle expression on his face. He hadn't done much other than frown for the first day or two – especially at his brother's birthday, Karl now realised – but since that was over with, he'd done more smiling in their company, which by all accounts was fairly rare.

Eric nodded in reply. "Thanks, Terry, but it must be our turn to buy you dinner."

"Not a word of it," Terry insisted, his frown returning – and Karl certainly understood why people were so frightened of him when _that_ expression was on his face. "I'm the host, and I say who buys dinner." Then his face lightened considerably. "That doesn't mean you two can't cook it. I just hope it'll be edible."

Eric let out an affronted noise. "Of course it'll be edible!"

Karl grinned as Terry winked at him, and left them to it. Eric was proud of how well he could cook these days. It had been something he'd spent a lot of time on since Karl had moved in. He enjoyed cooking and found it relaxing after a stressful day at the garage – once he'd scrubbed himself clean, of course. Karl was more than happy to be on clean-up duty. Cooking wasn't something he'd ever mastered much more than the basics of, despite his mum's best intentions.

"Edible, he says!" Eric turned back to Karl. "Shows how much he knows."

"Don't take it so seriously." Karl smiled at Eric as he filled the electric jug with water for a cuppa. "He's only teasing."

"Terry? Not something he's known for." Eric reached into the cupboard for cereal as he spoke.

"Well, maybe people just don't know him well enough to judge."

Eric laughed. "And you do?"

Karl grabbed a couple of mugs off the shelf and put teabags in them. "To be honest, he scared me a little at first too; he seemed so gruff, but since we've been staying with him… I think he's a pretty good guy. I think you may just be his favourite nephew, too."

Eric nodded. "You're right, actually. He's always had my best interests at heart, and of all the family, he's the least judgmental about me being gay."

"You don't think…?" Karl couldn't quite make himself say it.

"What? Terry? Nah… well... I mean, I did wonder, but… no, I don’t think so." Eric didn't look so sure, suddenly. "Could he?"

Karl shrugged. "It's not like I know him that well, like you say, but…" He raised his hands questioningly. "There's no way to tell just from looking at someone. We both know that well enough."

"Anyway," sniffed Eric," I'm hungry. What kind of cereal d'ya want?"

"Cornflakes," Karl said decisively, and watched Eric pour a couple of bowls while he waited for the jug to boil. He wished he could be as decisive about broaching the subject of Hugh again, but he wanted to give Eric a chance to bring him up first. If Eric didn't take too long getting around to it, that was.

By the time they were sitting at the table with their cereal and tea in front of them, he was already contemplating saying something.

Eric looked at him over the food and cocked a querying eyebrow.

"What?" said Karl and shoved another spoonful into his mouth.

"You've got that thoughtful look on again."

"What look?" 

"The one that says you've got some kind of question to ask me, or you're waiting for me to say something first."

"I have a 'thoughtful look'?" Karl tried stalling.

"How long have we been together now?" Eric sat back, lifting his mug, and gazed knowingly at Karl.

"Three years… no, it'll be four years next month," Karl decided, not sure where Eric was going with this line of thought.

"And you don't think I would know what that look means by now?"

Karl snorted. "That you even notice my so-called 'looks' is a complete surprise to me, actually."

Eric took a gulp of his tea, and gave Karl an 'I'm offended' look of his own; one that Karl knew pretty well by now. "Is it about Hugh?"

Karl blinked in surprise. Eric wasn't usually so good at guessing what he was thinking about. "Actually, yeah." He smiled briefly, and checking Eric's face for disapproval, decided he was better to just say it. "Do you think Hugh is deliberately dating someone who doesn't sleep with him?"

"That's not really our business, Karl." Eric got up from the table as he spoke, so it was hard to judge what expression he was hiding as he plonked his empty mug in the sink. "Besides, we won't be seeing him again, so it doesn't matter."

Karl had finished his breakfast by now, and he stood up too, carrying his dishes to hand them to Eric, who had started filling the sink with water. Karl grabbed a tea-towel and waited for Eric to start washing. "You don't wonder, though?" he couldn't help asking.

Eric shrugged, appearing fascinated by squeezing dishwashing liquid into the hot water. "He chose not to get involved in my life any further, so it's not for me to speculate."

Karl snorted as he reached for the first clean dish to dry. "It wasn't quite as deliberately 'chosen' as you're suggesting though. What if… what if he felt both abandoned by you and so guilty for not standing up to your dad, that somehow he felt he owed you to stay well away from what – who – he really wanted?"

Eric looked up, a stunned look on his face. "Did he say something?"

"No, but…" Karl hesitated. "Is that something he would do?"

Eric tilted his head, staring into space, and then looked back into the sink. "I don't know, but it isn't something I'd considered. I mean… I'm only just getting my head around the idea that he didn't abandon _me_."

"I get that, babe. But… he had to be hurting too after you left. Maybe – and I'm only guessing here, because I don't know him like you did back then – but maybe that's exactly what happened, and he's still so traumatised by the whole situation that he hasn't really admitted what he wants."

Karl had received some free counselling through a domestic violence programme in NZ after his father died. He'd finally worked up the courage to look for help when the reality of his father's behaviour when he was younger had continued to interfere with his night-time sleep. He'd learned a thing or two about suppressed thoughts and behaviours through that.

Eric looked at him briefly, and then went back to washing dishes. He was silent so long that Karl thought he'd given up on the conversation. He didn't speak again himself; sometimes it was better not to.

"There might be something in that," Eric finally said as he pulled the plug and started wiping the bench. "But is it up to me to point that out?"

Karl tipped his head, thinking. "Perhaps not, but it's going to make for a pretty sad life for him if we ignore it."

Eric nodded slowly as he dried his hands. "It'd mean if he married Kate… both of them could end up miserable. And if that affects her kids… so it's not just him we're talking about here."

Karl finished drying the last dish and hung up the tea-towel. It was what he'd been thinking all along but hadn't wanted to point out to Eric so bluntly. "Yeah."

Stepping closer to Karl, Eric reached out a hand which Karl took and squeezed lightly. "I don't want to get involved for my own sake, but… It feels like my responsibility to do something now. Dammit!"

"You know it's the right thing to do," Karl said gently, drawing Eric close enough to kiss.

Eric kissed him back, but didn't take it further. He moved away. "What can I do? I can't say anything to Kate. And Hugh…" he sighed, pushing a hand through his dark hair. "I don't know that I can tell him what he's thinking. That's… he won't listen to me anyway."

"Why not?" 

Eric blinked at him as if Karl should know. "I abandoned him, Karl. I know, I didn't realise that at the time, but I could just as easily have made the effort to contact him once I was settled in New Zealand. And I didn't. And now… after what I said when we left him, he's got to think I don't care, especially now I have you. Anything I say won't mean anything; he'll never believe I'm trying to help him – he'll just think it's some sort of payback or something."

"What about me? What if I talk to him?"

"You shouldn't have to do that, Karl. And he might just think I sent you as part of my revenge."

"I feel like I should help though. Besides, that's not who you are, Eric. And I wouldn't do that even if you were."

"But Hugh doesn't know that."

"True." Karl rubbed his chin, thinking. "What about Terry?"

"Terry?" Eric had a 'you're crazy' expression on his face. "Why would he help?"

"Why not? We could ask him, at least. Who else is there?"

Eric shook his head as he headed back down the hallway. "No one that knows about what happened, and would be willing to help me."

Karl followed him. "Well, then?"

"I guess we could ask him tonight. I don't know that he would, but…"

"It's worth a try."

"Yeah," Eric said as he stepped into the bathroom and reached for his toothbrush. "There's nothing else that I can think of at the moment."

~//~//~


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this part, Eric convinces Terry to have a word with Hugh; later, Eric finds himself remembering things from his past in a slightly different way.

"Me?" Terry 's eyes were full of mistrust. "Why would I talk to him? He's an idiot."

Eric sighed and leaned forward over the table. After Karl had convinced him this morning how many lives could be ruined by one foolish decision, he hadn't been sure Terry was the right person to talk to Hugh, but he couldn't think of any other way to get through to him.

"Because I can't do it; he won't listen to me after what I said to him, and as I already said, because if he ends up marrying Kate…" Eric paused, noting the look of alarm in Terry's eyes. "…not only could it mean he's miserable for the rest of his life, but Kate and her kids could suffer for it too."

Terry huffed something indecipherable and stood up, turning towards the electric jug so that Eric could no longer see his expression. Terry lifted the jug to put hot water in it at the sink, and then fussed around finding mugs and teabags.

"What are you thinking?" Eric exchanged a querying look with Karl, who just shrugged.

Terry turned at last, his thick brows furrowed. "Maybe that's all she deserves."

Shaking his head, Eric just looked at Terry for a moment. "You say that like you know her."

"Maybe," Terry muttered and started pouring hot water into the mugs.

Eric scowled. "You do, don't you? How do you know her?"

Terry flicked him an angry look, and plonked a mug in front of him and then one in front of Karl before sitting down again with his own. "I went to school with her."

Blinking in surprise, Eric gestured unevenly. He knew Kate was older than Hugh, but he'd never stopped to think that she was probably around Terry's age and that could mean there was a possibility of something like this. 

At forty-one, Terry was a lot younger than Eric's father, who had been born soon after their parents married, while Terry had been the unexpected baby at the end of their reproductive lives. If Kate had stayed as near to where she grew up as Terry had – it wasn't that big an area – the chances they knew each other were fairly high.

"You did? Was she always…" He thought about how to put it.

"Batty?" Terry put in, and took a gulp of his hot tea. "Pretty much."

"That's not what I was going to say."

Terry snorted. "Well, she is."

"Religious then," Karl offered.

"I suppose so," Terry replied. "If that's what you call chasing every guy in our class until one of them agreed to marry her."

"Did she chase you?" Eric could help asking.

"Of course, but I wasn't going near. I wouldn't touch her with a barge pole."

Karl gave Eric a lifted eyebrow at that, but Eric didn't think Terry was suggesting anything about himself with the comment. However, it did make him wonder how familiar Terry was with her situation now. "Did you know she was dating Hugh before I told you?"

"Might have," Terry mumbled, shooting Karl an odd look.

Eric narrowed his eyes and glanced at Karl himself, but his expression seemed fairly neutral. "How often do you see Hugh around, anyway?"

"His parents are good friends of your mum and dad; he's around and about from time to time. I guess they probably said something somewhere along the line."

Eric could hardly argue the logic. He sighed again, and then drank some of his own tea. Lowering the cup, he tried again. "Could you at least try to have a word with Hugh? I mean… you're the only one around here who seems to think what Karl and I have is okay, and even if Hugh’s not too keen to talk about it, you could at least give him something to think about."

"You're not going to let up until I bloody-well agree, are you?" Terry asked over the top of his mug.

Karl started to smile, and Eric felt the weight on his own shoulders start to lift just a little. "Not really, no. After Karl pointed out how it wasn't just him affected, I've been feeling a bit guilty about not being more… I don't know…"

"Understanding," Karl put in, looking into his mug like he was avoiding Eric's eyes.

"Okay, yeah, understanding."

"Well, I won't guarantee the results," Terry warned.

"That's okay; I just think we should try." Eric managed not to smile too hard. He had always been one of the only people who could convince Terry to do something he didn't really want to do; it was good to know he hadn't lost his touch.

Terry didn't look happy, but he nodded. "I'll look him up at the market tomorrow before I head into work."

"How early does he start?" Karl asked.

"The market opens at nine, but it takes a while for the stallholders to get everything set up, so most of them are there at seven-thirty or so," Terry said. "I don't have to be at work till eight-thirty, so I'll see if I can catch him before he gets too busy."

Eric nodded. "Thanks, Terry. I appreciate your help."

Terry just nodded, his face giving nothing further away. 

~//~ 

The next day, Karl and Eric were getting their breakfast as Terry was about to leave. Karl thought Terry looked nervous; not an expression he'd seen on the big man before, but he dismissed the notion, and carried on eating. Why would Terry be nervous about talking to Hugh? He certainly hadn't seemed nervous about anything else this week. Karl assumed he was reluctant to get involved, and put it down to that.

After he'd left, Karl looked at Eric expectantly.

"What?" Eric said, checking behind himself as if expecting someone standing there.

"You said you were going to show me around some more. Yesterday we didn't see much apart from the supermarket and the local park, and the day before we only got to the market where Hugh works. Nice as they were, I was hoping maybe you'd show me some places you used to hang out; your old school and that kind of thing." 

Eric smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "You really want to see things like that? I didn't like school all that much. Was good at footie, but not much else."

Karl huffed. "So show me the football field; I don't care. I just thought it'd be fun to see the places young Eric used to frequent."

"Sure," Eric agreed.

~//~

Much as Eric had been reluctant to show Karl around any of his main childhood haunts, they had a good day checking out the old school grounds and some other places where he had memories of spending time with Hugh. 

While in New Zealand, he'd almost convinced himself he and Hugh hadn't been so inseparable, but seeing all the familiar places from his childhood and especially his teenage years, he was feeling distinctly nostalgic now. Every place he showed Karl reminded him exactly why Hugh had been someone special to him once upon a time. Of course he couldn't say that to Karl, but it was hard to talk about anywhere without thoughts of Hugh surfacing.

By the time they got back to Terry's, he was thoughtful, but he didn't realise how long it had been since he'd spoken until Karl disturbed his thoughts.

"He was a big part of your life, wasn't he?"

Eric blinked, and turned a guilty expression towards his lover. "Sorry."

Karl shook his head. "Don't be sorry. It was a long time ago, and you reassure me constantly that I'm all you want now."

"Thanks, love. I feel bad that all this reminds me of what he and I had, though. I mean… things could have been quite different if Dad hadn't caught us that day. I might never have gone to New Zealand; never have met you."

Karl moved into his arms, holding him tight. "But you did."

Eric closed his eyes, returning the embrace gratefully. "Thank God."

Karl laughed as drew back slowly.

"What's so funny?"

"You said 'Thank God', which seems a little ironic in the circumstances."

Eric huffed a laugh too as they walked into the kitchen. "True. Hey Terry."

Terry was bent over inside the open door of the fridge. He straightened up and shut the fridge door as they stood there expectantly.

"Karl, Eric. How'd your day go?" Terry nodded at them and carried the meat he'd pulled out of the fridge over to the stove. "Spaghetti Bolognaise okay for tonight?"

"Sounds great," Eric told him, "and our day was…"

"Great," Karl put in. "Eric showed me his childhood haunts. How'd you get on with Hugh?"

Terry frowned and busied himself pulling things out of cupboards before answering. "Uh…. He didn't really have time to talk this morning, but uh… he invited me over to his place tomorrow night."

Eric snorted. "Really? Like… for a beer?"

Terry nodded. "Yeah, I guess. I said I needed to talk to him about you, and he suggested it. I might not be back at tea time, so… will you be okay to make yourselves something?"

"Of course," Karl answered, and Eric shook his head. "What?"

Eric let out a chuckle. "Like it'll be you cooking?" he asked.

Karl had the good grace to blush – he looked so cute when he did that – but he didn't say anything.

"Right; all good then," Terry said, his eyes moving back and forth between them like he was amused by the exchange. "Help yourselves to a beer now and head outside while I get to making this; it's easier when you two aren't in here in my way."

"All right, all right," Eric said, holding up his hands. He grabbed a couple of bottles from the fridge and handed one to Karl before pushing him out the door.

~//~

"Was that the door?" 

Eric's shifting around as he spoke brought Karl to full wakefulness. He glanced at the clock by the bed; its glowing numbers read a little after 2 am. "Terry?" he mumbled sleepily.

Eric was sitting up in the bed in the dark, his head cocked as though he was listening intently. "Yeah. That was his bedroom door closing, I think. I can't believe he's only just getting back from Hugh's now."

Karl rolled over, yawning. "He's a big boy, Eric. I'm sure he can take care of himself."

"Hmm. What would have kept him there this long? He went straight from work, and it's been hours. I wonder what they talked about all this time?"

"Go to sleep, Eric. It's Saturday tomorrow, so I’m sure Terry will tell you all about it then."

"Yeah."

Karl must have drifted off at that point. When he woke again, light was streaming in the room and Eric was snoring softly next to him. The clock read 8.48 am. He rolled onto his side and leaned his head on his elbow, watching Eric sleep with what was surely a very dopey grin on his face. He couldn't imagine loving anyone as much as he loved Eric; feeling daft as he watched the man sleep definitely said that, no matter what else he liked to think about their relationship.

As he watched, Eric slowly blinked to wakefulness, like he knew Karl was watching. Eric smiled and stretched out deliciously. "Morning, love."

"Morning yourself. You finally managed to sleep once Terry was home, then?"

Eric sat up abruptly. "Terry! Hugh! I've got to find out how that all went." He was out of bed and hopping into trousers almost before Karl could blink.

"Give him a chance, Eric. Terry didn't get in till the wee small hours. He's probably still asleep."

"He doesn't usually sleep in… well, he didn't used to," Eric amended as he sank to the side of the bed and looked over his shoulder at Karl, who was sitting up by now.

"It's the weekend, babe… you could come back to bed?"

A crash from the other end of the house had Eric standing up again, and all Karl could do was snort as his invitation went unanswered. Eric pulled a t-shirt over his head, and padded out of the room barefooted.

"Yeah, cheers; thanks a lot," Karl said to the empty air behind him. He sighed heavily, then got out of bed himself.

~//~//~


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It turns out Terry’s had more than a word with Hugh!

"Bloody thing!" Terry swore quietly, and rubbed at his head.

He looked a little worse for wear, in fact, and Eric wondered if he and Hugh had had a few too many during the course of their conversation the night before, or if it was just banging his head on the open cupboard he'd obviously come to grief with that gave that impression.

"Morning, Terry," he said breezily and went to put the electric jug on to make tea.

Terry looked up at him with a start, and Eric thought the man actually blushed a little under his beard. "Uh… morning."

"You okay?" Eric asked.

"Mmhmm, yeah, good. Right as rain."

"Really?" Eric reached into the cupboard for mugs and shut the door carefully. "You want to watch leaving cupboard doors open, though. Looks like you hit this a bit hard."

"Yeah, umm, right." Terry smiled tightly.

Very odd. There was no other way to describe his uncle's behaviour. "You sure you're okay? You were very late home last night… or should I say this morning?"

Terry's mouth opened but no words came out. His eyes were full of something Eric couldn't quite decipher.

"You and Hugh must have talked quite late. You had a few beers, I suppose? You should have called – I would have come get you. You shouldn't drink and drive, mate." Eric squinted slightly, trying to understand what Terry's expression meant.

"I um… we didn't drink that much. Just a couple, early on. We talked though; quite late."

"That's so weird. Hugh's always been a bit scared of you; I'm kind of surprised he didn't just listen to what you had to say then push you out the door as quickly as possible. Did he feed you as well?"

"Yeah… um… I don't think he's scared of me any more."

"He did feed you? Wow; I didn't even know he could cook." Eric supposed Terry must have helped Hugh overcome his nervousness around him by whatever he'd said the night before.

"Uh… no, we got fish and chips, actually."

"Ah, that makes more sense." By now Eric had the tea made and cereal and bowls out on the table. "Now, I need to know how you got on with the 'talk'? Please tell me that being at his place that long means he understood what I… what you were saying, and he's going to break things off with Kate before he gets in way over his head?"

Karl chose that moment to appear, which distracted both of them momentarily.

"Hey, Terry." Karl smiled brightly, and then frowned. "You okay?"

"I'm okay," Terry almost growled, his face darkening. "What's with everyone asking me how I am?"

Karl's brows rose as he joined Eric at the table. "Sorry. You just looked a bit… well… funny."

Eric took another look at Terry. He still looked a bit off; it couldn't just be about hitting his head on the cupboard. "You do, actually. Did Hugh say something?"

Terry took a breath and then sat down between them at the table. 

"I need to tell you something," he said.

"About Hugh?" Eric asked.

"Yeah." Terry's brow furrowed and he glanced at Karl before focusing on Eric. "He's going to break things off with Kate."

Eric couldn't help the grin splitting his face. 

"That's good news, isn't it?" Karl asked, concern etching his features.

"It's exactly what we suggested," Eric said, pleased. 

"I don't know." Terry's quiet words drew Eric's eye back to him. "It's not because of what I _said_ to him. The things you wanted me to talk to him about."

"Does it matter?" Eric wasn't sure it made any difference if he’d found some other way to convince Hugh it was for the best.

"I…" Terry looked flushed. "It was more because of something… I did."

"Something you did?" Eric exchanged a confused look with Karl, who merely shrugged.

"Yeah, I… well, you said you weren't interested in him _that_ way, anymore, and you and Karl are happy, but I… I'm not sure how much you still care about him."

"Of course I care about him," Eric said, more confused by the minute. "Wait… you didn't threaten him, did you?" He frowned. "Because I didn't mean you should do something like that."

"No; no, nothing like that." Terry shook his head and held up hands, as if warding off any suggestion of violence.

"Then what do you mean?"

Terry swallowed hard, his eyes downcast. Licking his lips slowly, he looked back up and directly into Eric's eyes. 

"What?" Eric asked, completely mystified.

Terry's face hardened, as if he was preparing for some kind of angry outburst from Eric. "I slept with him."

Eric's mouth fell open, and he couldn't seem to shut it. _That_ had been the furthest thing from his mind, and he couldn't seem to wrap his head around it.

Karl, on the other hand, seemed delighted by the news and was laughing. He leapt up and clapped Terry on the shoulder excitedly, and then grabbed his hand, pumping it up and down wildly. "That's awesome, mate. Congratulations!" 

Eric was still speechless. He simply stared at his uncle, who had finally been released by Karl and was now looking at Eric warily, like he was waiting for the hammer to fall.

"Oh my God," Eric finally got out. He put his hand to his mouth, still staring at the uncle he barely knew; the uncle he had definitely not expected this from, despite some of his wonderings early on. "Really? You're gay?"

Karl was smirking like he couldn't believe Eric was so slow on the uptake.

"It never occurred to you?" Terry asked at last.

"I… I… You're my uncle," was all Eric could manage.

"The two aren't mutually exclusive," Karl said. "I'm sure plenty of uncles are gay. We did wonder… well, I did, anyway," he said to Terry.

Terry nodded. "Didn't you ever speculate on why I was so firmly on your side when your dad went all crazy on you?"

"You never said," Eric told him. He shook his head, wondering why he hadn't ever asked.

"I was scared your dad would think I turned you or something equally as stupid. And I didn't want you… well, to be influenced by me. I thought maybe you were just experimenting with Hugh. It was only once I knew you were with Karl that I realised it was for life for you too."

"You could have told me once we came here… told both of us. We wouldn't have thought any less of you. You could have trusted us." Eric felt a little hurt, in truth.

"I know." Terry shook his big head and looked at him sadly. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything. I was… scared, I guess. I was worried about Hugh too, but… I didn't think… I mean…" He stopped speaking, his face reddening as he looked away.

Karl said, "Have you always liked Hugh?"

"Karl!" Eric couldn't believe his boyfriend would ask such a thing.

"It's okay, Eric," Terry told him. "No; not always. I mean, when he and Eric were friends, they were so young; so much younger than me. But through the years, as I saw him around, I thought he'd gotten mighty fine looking. But he always seemed terrified of me, so I… well, he was still Eric's friend, so it seemed better to let it go. And then he was with Kate, which just made me think he'd been experimenting with you. That they weren't sleeping together didn't seem a good enough reason to think he was actually gay." He shrugged.

"What changed?" Eric asked. He was slowly getting used to the idea that he had a gay uncle who was now apparently… his best friend's lover.

"You asking me to talk to him. I… well, I didn't want to at first, but you were so insistent. And what you said kind of made sense. I wasn't sure what to say, but… I had to try."

"So when you went around last night, did you know you were going to sleep with him?" Karl asked.

"Jesus, Karl," Eric muttered, but again, Terry didn't seem perturbed by the question.

"No, I had no idea that would happen. I just… went to talk to him. We were sitting there after dinner… and that had been awkward enough. I couldn't figure out why he invited me, you know? I still thought he was scared of me. It was weird, and I was fumbling with my words, but after some umming and ah-ing, I finally got the question out: 'Are you with Kate because you won't have to prove you're straight as long as you're with her?'. He just kinda looked at me for a while, and I wondered if I'd read him all wrong."

"Then what?" Karl was positively rubbing his hands together in pleasure over the story.

"Then he said, 'Why does it matter? I missed my chance with Eric, and there's only one other person I like.' I meant to focus on Kate and her kids and tell him it could stuff up their lives, but when he said that, I suddenly got really jealous and that's all I could think of. I asked him who that person was, and why he didn't do something about it."

Eric's smile crept up on him slowly, but the penny had dropped. "That's when he told you that he wasn't scared of you because you're big, right?"

Terry nodded. "You could have knocked me down with a feather when he said he liked _me_."

"It's not that unbelievable." Karl smiled at Eric and then at Terry. "You're a bit like an even larger, slightly hairier version of Eric. What's not to like?"

"I'm a surly bastard?" Terry was smiling despite his words.

"There is that," Eric agreed. "It obviously wasn't enough to put him off completely."

"He looked even more frightened than usual when he said it, though, like he thought I would knock his block off or something."

"But you didn't," Karl put in.

"No. I kissed him," Terry said, his face reddening even more.

Eric huffed, a little embarrassed at the thought himself. Karl just laughed and banged the table with his fist.

"You don't think the age difference is a big deal, do you?" Terry asked.

"No, of course not! He was dating Kate before and she's the same age as you. I wondered about it, but honestly, he's 28 now, right? So twelve years difference is no biggie. It would have been weird when he and I were eighteen, but not now."

"Him and I… that doesn't bother you, does it?" Terry asked. “I was worried about saying anything because of that.”

Eric searched his feelings for a second before replying. "I'm surprised, but not bothered by it. You know I love Karl, so as much as I care what happens to Hugh, I'm not upset because you and he are together, as long as you both want it."

Terry nodded. "We do. 

"Then that's all that matters," Eric said, and he meant it.

~//~

That night was Karl and Eric's last in Aussie, so they went to visit his parents for the last time in the afternoon. It was a slightly awkward, but not altogether horrible couple of hours. Karl was glad they hadn't had to stay with them or spend a lot more time in their company, all the same. 

Heading back to Terry's afterward, he asked Eric, "Do you think they'll ever accept us properly?"

Eric shook his head as he drove, watching the road ahead and not looking at Karl. "Can't see it, somehow. Maybe if we were living here and they got used to us… like your mother has." He glanced at Karl with a soft look. "But from a distance they don't have to think about it, so it doesn't really matter all that much. I'm just glad they talked to you this time and didn't act like I'd dragged just anyone home from the pub."

"Yeah." Karl smiled. "It wasn't too bad, and since we don't have to see them again for ages, I can live with it."

Eric took a hand off the steering wheel briefly to squeeze Karl's thigh. "I'd like it to be better, but it doesn't really matter." He gave Karl another quick grin and then turned back to the road.

Karl took a breath and asked, "So… tonight. How do you feel about seeing Terry and Hugh together? Do you think Hugh will be okay after breaking up with Kate?"

Terry had told them Hugh was going to speak to Kate while they were at Eric's parents' place, and that he was keen to come and have dinner with them on their last night.

"To be honest, I'm not sure. It still seems kinda weird, but at least Hugh's not continuing to fake it with Kate. Hopefully it'll go okay for him, and he and Terry can really get to know each other. I don’t know how my parents will be about them; can’t imagine Terry’s going to tell them about it very soon, in any case."

"Things will work out; you'll see," Karl assured Eric, though he couldn't really know. He hoped he was right.

~//~

Terry had prepared some kind of fancy casserole for them, to Eric's surprise, and he told them there was dessert afterwards too, though he wouldn't elaborate. While Eric was setting the table for all four of them, the doorbell went, and Terry almost dropped the spoon he was using to stir the casserole.

"Shit, that'll be Hugh." Terry's eyes were wide and he swallowed hard as he managed to place the spoon in the sink and wipe his hands on the dish towel. "Do I look okay?"

Eric held back the laugh trying to escape and nodded. "You look fine. Hugh likes you, so he won't care anyway." He realised then that the special meal was probably more to impress Hugh than him. "You'd better answer the door before he rings the bell again."

"Uh, yeah." Terry made a move for the hallway, then came back, removing the apron he had over his nicest shirt, smiling sheepishly as Eric watched, before heading back to the front door.

Karl came into the room while he was gone and kissed Eric lightly. "Did I hear the doorbell?"

"Yup. If I'm not mistaken, Terry is completely smitten."

Karl moved over to the stove and lifted the lid on the pot sitting there. "This smells divine. He's really trying to butter him up, isn't he?"

"Not sure he'll need much of that, but at least it proves Terry's genuine about him. I hope Hugh understands that."

Terry appeared in the doorway, Hugh behind him. "Come in, the food's nearly ready." He grabbed the apron he'd left on a chair and hung it up in the pantry as Hugh faced Eric and Karl. 

Hugh's face was drawn, but he smiled at them. "Eric, Karl. Good to see you both."

"You, my friend," Eric said, moving close enough to hug him briefly, "are a dark horse. I thought you were going to be much harder to convince to break up with Kate than this."

Karl reached forward and shook Hugh's hand once Eric had released him. "How'd she take it? Hope it wasn't too horrible for either of you?"

Hugh let out a laugh that sounded a little too close to hysterical. "She wasn't terribly pleased, but at least I hadn't promised to marry her or anything."

"Did… did you tell her the truth?" Terry asked.

Hugh nodded. "She wasn't all that surprised, I suppose. Said she'd guessed there could be some reason other than God that kept me from wanting to go to bed with her."

"That's all?" Eric asked, wary of the reply.

Taking a deep breath, Hugh indicated a chair and at Terry's nod slid into it. Eric and Karl sat down too, while Terry reached into the fridge for some beer and placed a can in front of each of them.

"I won't go into detail, but she basically told me I'd wind up in hell, as would all my gay friends, and that I shouldn't darken her door again."

Terry placed a hand on one of Hugh's that had been resting on the table. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that, but it's over now, and we can be together without any guilt."

Hugh nodded and turned his hand in Terry's. "Thank you." 

He didn't seem able to say anything more, and Eric felt like he was interrupting a moment that perhaps the two of them should have been sharing alone. He sipped from his beer and glanced at Karl, who was drinking too. He was incredibly grateful he'd found Karl when he had, and only wanted something as good for his uncle and his mate.

Terry let go of Hugh's hand and stood up to dish up the meal.

"So," Karl offered carefully, "You think your parents are going to be okay with you seeing Terry?"

"I have no idea, to be honest," Hugh said. "They weren't exactly happy about Kate, but it wasn't moving very fast so they let it go. I don't think they have any idea who the real me is. I'm not sure _I_ really knew until now; not properly, anyway. I'm always going to be grateful to this big lunk for showing me." 

He indicated Terry and smiled at him in a way that Eric knew from way back. It occurred to him at last that the look he was seeing was one of love; but that it was no longer directed at him made no difference. As long as Hugh could be as happy with Terry as Eric was with Karl, he could never begrudge him anything.

~//~//~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While this is the end of the story, there's a small epilogue to follow, after Eric and Karl get back home to NZ.


	7. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a small scene at the airport on Eric and Karl's arrival back in NZ.

The flight back to New Zealand was only a couple of hours, but Karl was glad it wasn't any longer. He and Eric were both over six feet tall and being cooped up in those airline seats was not funny when there was barely enough room for your legs.

He virtually ran through the terminal towards the baggage claim, almost leaving Eric behind a couple of times.

"Jesus, mate, what's your hurry?" Eric asked as they arrived in time to see bags only just beginning to spill onto the revolving luggage belt.

Karl gave him a half-grin and dumped his cabin bag on the floor so he could stretch. "Just glad to be off that tin death-trap."

"You never said you didn't like flying."

"Eh, it's okay. I just hate being squashed into those seats. At least you had an aisle and could stretch your legs out a bit. But all the same, I'm glad to be home."

"Me too," Eric said, finally offering a pleased smile himself. "Who'd have thought it would turn out like it did, though?"

"That's my bag." Karl moved closer to the moving luggage and reaching for the distinctive green bag he'd chosen especially because it was easy to spot. 

Eric hummed as he squinted at the bags trying to find his own – a black bag in a sea of black bags.

"Told you," Karl said, hauling his bag off the claim and giving a superior grin to his boyfriend.

"Yeah, yeah," Eric replied. "Just because you don't mind being a show-off. I happen to like my bag, thank you very much. Ah, there it is." He waggled his eyebrows, then pulled a random black bag off the belt to check its tag. "See, it's not so hard."

"I don't know how you figured it was yours, but good on ya, mate." Karl clapped a hand on Eric's shoulder and then hoisted his cabin bag over his shoulder and picked up the bigger bag in one hand.

Eric picked up his gear too, and they headed for the shuttle.

"You think Terry and Hugh will be okay?" Karl asked.

"I hope so," Eric replied. "I have this feeling it'll work out, even though my family probably won't be too impressed. Terry's old enough to know what he wants, and I'm really glad they found each other. Thank you for helping with that. If it wasn't for you, I doubt they'd be together now."

"I didn't do much."

Eric stopped Karl with a hand on his arm, and Karl turned back to see the most grateful expression on Eric's face.

"You did. I was going to forget all about Hugh and leave him to Kate and whatever misery they faced together. And as for Terry… I can't get over the fact I never realised about him. I mean, he could have told me, but I get why he didn't." He shook his head, and moved closer to Karl. "It means a lot to me that you cared enough about someone from my past to try and fix things for him when you didn't have to, and I haven't thanked you properly for that."

Karl looked around, but no one was paying them the least amount of attention. He grinned lasciviously. "I can wait till we get home for the full thank you."

Eric laughed. "I wasn't exactly suggesting we should become exhibitionists right here at the airport, but I doubt anyone would care if I kissed you right now."

"Go on, then," Karl encouraged, sure Eric would back out of such a public display of affection.

To his complete surprise, Eric let go of his suitcase handle and came in even closer, pressing his lips to Karl's without so much as a glance around them. He held the back of Karl's neck gently and deepened the kiss to the point where Karl was worried he'd have to adjust his jeans. Despite this, Karl didn't break off the kiss until Eric let go of him.

They grinned at each other stupidly for a moment, and then Karl became aware of a couple of women off to his left. He felt his face heat up as he looked at them properly, but they were smiling. They both clapped as he let out a nervous laugh and Eric turned to see what he was looking at.

"Way to go!" one of them called out.

"Oh, Jesus," Eric muttered under his breath, his face reddening too.

Karl managed a half-bow towards the two women. "Come on, before they start cheering." 

With that, Eric grabbed his suitcase again, and they took off.

They were both grinning by the time they got to the shuttle and checked in with the driver. Climbing into the back seat, Eric said, "I can't believe I just did that."

"Me neither," Karl agreed, "but I'm glad you did. We should be able to, no matter what other people think."

"Don't think those two girls were against it, even if I did feel embarrassed that they saw us."

"It just goes to show that sometimes two men kissing can make other people feel good."

"True." Eric gave him a fond look. "And if I have my way, we'll engineer some more of those good feelings before too long." 

Karl laughed. "I can't wait."

~//~//~//~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to anyone who has been reading this; I know it was a long time coming, and in this day and age of everything being binge-able, this has taken a while to get posted, so I appreciate you sticking with me! ;-)


End file.
